Silence and Table Manners: When Environments Activate Norms

Abstract

Two studies tested the conditions under which an environment (e.g., library, restaurant) raises the relevance of environment-specific social norms (e.g., being quiet, using table manners). As hypothesized, the relevance of such norms is raised when environments are goal relevant ("I am going there later") and when they are humanized with people or the remnants of their presence (e.g., a glass of wine on a table). Two studies show that goal-relevant environments and humanized environments raise the perceived importance of norms (Study 1) and the intention to conform to norms (Study 2). Interestingly, in both studies, these effects reach beyond norms related to the environments used in the studies.

How do habits guide behavior? Perceived and actual triggers of habits in daily life

“…Study 2 used a standard manipulation of nonconscious goals that involved telling participants that they would visit a campus sports stadium for the final part of the study (e.g., Joly, Stapel, & Lindenberg, 2008). This manipulation was used in a prior study demonstrating that frequent cycling can be goal-dependent (Aarts & Dijksterhuis, 2000).…”

Change and Stability in Active and Passive Social Influence Dynamics During Natural Drinking Events: A Longitudinal Measurement-Burst Study

“…Although the link between norms and personal behavior seems fairly well-established,, the specific influence processes involved remain relatively unclear. Much of the social norms research to date demonstrates or presumes a passive influence process, whereby merely perceiving a focal norm (Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990; Joly, Stapel, & Lindenberg, 2008), via exposure to the behaviors of close friends or proximal others (Capone, Wood, Borsari & Laird, 2007; Cullum, Armeli, & Tennen, 2010; Goldstein, Cialdini, & Griskevicius, 2008) is enough to guide a person’s own subsequent behavior. That is, the influence of the social norm on personal behavior in these instances requires no direct pressure upon a person to change his or her behavior, and makes no attempt to persuade or request a person’s compliance with a norm; however, in many social settings, norms may also be enforced or actively promoted by other people present in the environment.…”

The Norm-Activating Power of Celebrity

“…Congenial strangers (say, people in the street) can activate social norms (and their oughtness) to some degree because people generally care about the normative expectations of others (see Joly et al 2008). But some people are special.…”